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Could take 48 hours to confirm if deputy has Ebola

A patient exhibiting “signs and symptoms of Ebola” was transported from a Frisco CareNow clinicCrews transported a patient exhibiting “signs and symptoms of Ebola” from a Frisco CareNow clinic to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

“Right now, there are more questions than answers about this case,” said Wendell Watson, a spokesman with the hospital.

The patient was identified as Dallas County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Michael Monnig, who accompanied county health officials Zachary Thompson and Christopher Perkins into the Dallas apartment where Thomas Eric Duncan had been staying when he fell ill with Ebola.

“Initial reports from the urgent care facility indicated the patient had direct contact with the Dallas ‘patient zero’; however, Frisco firefighter-paramedics now report the patient says he had contact with the apartment and family members related to the Dallas ‘patient zero’ prior to the apartment being decontaminated,” said city of Frisco spokesperson Dana Baird.

The deputy had been ordered to go inside the unit with officials to get a quarantine order signed. No one who went inside the unit that day wore protective gear.

According to Christopher Dyer, president of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Association, Monnig said he was feeling sick to his stomach before his visit to the clinic. Dyer expressed concern for Monnig and his family.

“He’s doing exactly basically what we told him to do: If at any time you don’t feel well, go seek some medical attention,” Dyer said. “I’m being told that he’s not exhibiting classic signs of the Ebola virus. It’s just a matter that he doesn’t feel well, and because he had contact with Mr. Duncan’s apartment, they’re taking every precaution.”

That view was echoed by Frisco Fire Department Chief Mark Piland. “This patient was not experiencing all of those [Ebola] symptoms, just a few,” he said. “Based upon screening criteria from the CDC, the treatment tends to be a little bit more conservative at first.”